What a sight it was at Old Trafford to see the Kamindu Mendis getting a standing ovation after a sensational hundred that saved Sri Lanka from an embarrassing defeat in the first Test match against England. The tourists weren’t out of the woods after that knock, but surely they can go to London with their heads held high after a back to the wall knock by the left-hander. It took the early advantage away from England.
It was a superb knock to watch. Kamindu was tight with his defense, cut loose when bad balls were on offer, ran hard between the wickets and more importantly took the game on to the England bowlers to turn the tables in favour of Sri Lanka.
Kamindu is a very organized player. He knows that his strengths are square of the wicket and when it is in his area he cashes in. His prowess of concentration coupled with the grace with which he bats make him easy on the eye.
You always wonder what has taken so long for Kamindu Mendis to find a permanent slot in the side. Earmarked for great things from a young age, his was one of the most impressive debuts in 2022 when he made a half-century against the Aussies.
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Everyone remembers Dinesh Chandimal’s double hundred against the Aussies in Galle and it was Kamindu who stitched that crucial partnership with him that turned the game in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Not often Sri Lanka beat Australia. However, after that win, Kamindu found himself out of the side and was given the cold shoulder for two years. Not that the national cricket team was covering themselves in glory in that period. The team did struggle and surely someone of Kamindu’s caliber with an absolutely awesome record in First Class cricket should have broken through to the top seven.
Glad the selectors recalled him this year and made him an all format player. Given his skill set, appetite for big runs, ability to bowl from both arms and excellent fielding, Kamindu should have gone on to become an all-format player long time back. Better late than never.
It is one thing to score runs on the flat surfaces of Asia and quite another to make runs at Old Trafford when the ball nips around against a quality bowling attack that keeps coming at you.
Kamindu missed out on playing the warm-up game as well in Worcester as he arrived in England late as his visa was delayed.
Going into the Test match without any clue what to expect, Kamindu has done himself proud. Not often players come on their first tour to England and make an impact. It took the great Kumar Sangakkara three Test tours to England to make his first hundred in England. Kamindu has done it in his maiden appearance.
The partnership between Kamindu and Angelo Mathews ensured that this Test match did not end inside three days. It looked quite possible at one stage after the top order had been blown away once again. Then it was the stand between Mathews and Kamindu that put the pressure back on England.
Then a 118 run stand followed between Kamindu and Chandimal. Suddenly the field spread and England went on the back foot. Eventually, Kamindu fell for the second new ball for a well-made 113, but by then he had done the job for his team. It may not be sufficient, but it certainly was a massive recovery after being two down for two runs.
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If there’s one thing that Sri Lanka need to work when they go to London, it is their approach to batting in the first hour. Literally, in both innings they were forced to play catch up due to the flop in the first hour. In the first innings too, Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel having been reduced to three wickets with just six runs on the board.
Sri Lanka will be heading to London with some confidence with them now that Kamindu, Mathews and Chandimal have scored runs. With London being hot and humid for the past two weeks, they will in fact fancy their chances at Lord’s and The Oval.
There is a school of thought to get Kamindu move up the order. Many believe that he should become the permanent number three given his liking for big runs. But the thing is that he has made all his runs at number seven. It is a difficult position to bat as more often than not you are left with the tail and it’s no easy task to score runs. Not many batters excel at number seven. Kamindu has excelled and it would be wise move to let him make the runs where he has made them.
The counter argument is that his talent is wasted at seven and he should be allowed to convert those hundreds into big hundreds as it tends to happen if you are number three. It is for the wise heads in the Sri Lankan dressing room to think about and make a decision.
